Take 2

Well, after two successful attempts, I think I can officially add this one to my repertoire. Ta-da! This recipe is holiday ready :)

Desiderata: Sunday morning advice

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Truth in advertising OR Caught in the headlights

I showed up at White Clay Creek State Park for a run to find signs for a hayride and a group of families getting ready to enjoy a campfire on a perfect Saturday evening. In the evening light, it reminded me a little of a Ralph Lauren ad, without the fashion :)


I struck out on the open trail with delightfully cheesy Chicago lovesongs in my ears and was overwhelmed by the beauty and briskness of the evening.


Even though I'm getting pretty familiar with the trail, sometimes I can't help but be inspired by imagining what's just around the corner.


I was so absorbed by the run (and making sure I didn't trip over rocks or slip in mud) that I didn't notice that I was coming up quickly on a roadblock:

This deer. I was probably 15 feet from her when I finally looked up from my focused delight in "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" and nearly had a heart attack. She just stood there, chewing on something, looking at me, as I skidded to a halt and took the opportunity to take a photo. She still didn't move as I resumed my run and jogged right past her. Bizarre.

Stormy Weather

Don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather, since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time

Ladies and gentlemen, Lena Horne:


I don't know why this is a song from my childhood. It seems unlikely that it was one of the many I know from my grandfather's player piano. But as the rain stormed down and the thunder rolled this morning, this was the song I heard in my head.

I pulled myself out of bed and managed to take a few photos:

When they pass around the coffee and the mini pumpkin pies...

This morning I woke up to thunder and lightning and a whole lot of rain. I felt like curling up and sleeping the day away and maybe working up the energy to watch a chick flick with a cup of cocoa.

And then I remembered that I made a promise to get up at 8am every day. Sigh.

So I cheered myself up with a plan to make these little treats:


A double treat -- another chance to practice my mom's great pie crust recipe AND creating small baked goods. I love making anything great smaller :)

The recipe is pretty easy. For the crust I used my mother's recipe, the same as for the pear tarte tatin -- 1 cup of flour, 1/2 t salt (don't forget the salt... I always forget the salt), 1/3 cup of shortening cut in until pea-sized, then 3-4 T cold water mixed in until a dough forms. I doubled the recipe for 18 mini pies. I rolled it out like a normal pie crust and cut out 4" rounds with a tupperware lid, then placed them into a greased or non-stick muffin pan.

The pie filling is the same as the recipe on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin can. One can of pumpkin, one 12oz can of evaporated milk, 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t ground ginger, 1/4 t cloves, 2 eggs.


I experimented a bit with little cut out dough pieces to act as autumn-y leaves, but I wasn't impressed with the result. They could probably do with a little icing detail.

Baked at 425F for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Yum!

Exploring the artist

My latest effort from my Monday night drawing class -- improvement, methinks! However, these fluffy landscapes are not necessarily my style. Hoping we get a new kind of subject next week.

The Lost Weekend

No, not the 1945 film about a 4-day bender starring Jane Wyman and Ray Milland. I'm talking about the last weekend visit from my college roommate that I haven't managed to post about until now.

WARNING: Long post with lots of amateur photography. I should probably take a photography class in addition to my drawing class!

Leah took the train into Philly from New York, and to save her another hour's voyage into Wilmington a drove into the City of Brotherly Love and picked her up. Managed to get a pretty (unfocused) view of the city on my way in, too.

Since she had travelled 3 and a half hours to get to "the country," we made a beeline for the Hilltop, one of my favourite spots in town, mostly because it's a redneck biker bar with tons of personality and The Best Steamed Seafood Outside of Maryland.



In addition to the full pound of snow crab legs we devoured, we also managed to consume crab stuffed mushroom caps (Kennett Square farm fresh), crab fries, a spinach salad, and a few beers to wash it all down. The ambiance was typical, with a live band playing covers of songs from the late 90s who looked like that had probably been playing together at the Hilltop since the late 90s.

The next day, to counteract all that grease and cholesterol, we ventured out to Winterthur museum and gardens. And it was a purrrrfect day for strolling in the bucolic Delaware countryside.



I had strolled through the grounds several times before, but it was my first tour through the 175 room house turned museum itself. Far from being a "rich man's folly" built purely in a vainglorious attempt to preserve his own memory, Henry Francis DuPont built Winterthur to house his vast and valuable collection of American interior furnishings. He even forbade his staff from using his name while giving tours, because he wanted people to come for the collection and not for him. And this is not your grandfather's antique collection.



My two favourite pieces were six matching silver tankards made by Paul Revere and the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington in the same dining room. Dupont even found silk wallpaper handpainted in China in 1770 and had a parlour room resized and the ceilings coved so that the wallpaper would not need to be cut.

We lingered at Winterthur, and by the time we made it to Longwood Gardens, the one hour remaining until close did not justify the $18 entry fee. However, we did buy chrysanthemums, and mine has been quietly inspiring me on the kitchen island for almost a week now.

Our perfect Saturday night in consisted of pumpkin pie (another chance to try my mom's wonderful pastry recipe), truffle popcorn, kale chips, and leftover eggplant parm sandwiches, and manhattans. Leah makes the most wonderful manhattans. Will make sure to have rye on hand next time she visits.



Sunday afternoon we finally got to visit Longwood Gardens and see a talented organist play in addition to wandering around the enchanting conservatory.




Well, that about wraps up the lost weekend. Come back soon!

Forward motion

Today felt like a day of forward motion, even if nothing concrete really got done. It's the thought that counts, right?

I started out with a call for a potential future working relationship, which ended on a positive, if indefinite result. I followed up on several volunteer positions and inquired about several school programs.

Then, the best part of my day.

Out on the open trail, 8k jog in the White Clay Creek State Park.

Hi!

Jogging back up the hill towards my car. With beautiful early evening light leading me home. By the way, I have been using Adidas's free jogging app miCoach for my blackberry to track my milage and speed and I'm really impressed with its functionality.

All that exercise worked up quite an appetite, and thank goodness, I went to the grocery store yesterday so I was fully stocked. There's a bit of chill in the air, so I went to my go-to starch, chili garlic butternut squash, and a quick internet search led me to Food and Wine's Sea Bass Baked in Foil with Pesto. I used tilapia (instead of sea bass) on a bed of basil leaves (instead of pesto) with grated squash and carrots and mushrooms on top. Finished it with some white wine, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic salt.

I wrapped it all up and shoved it in the oven after the squash had been baking for 15 minutes.


And baked it for another 20 minutes (original recipe called for 12 minutes, but the fish needed quite a bit longer). The results were delicious! Enjoyed with a glass of Spanish white (okay, two).


Didn't have time for the prettiest plate composition, but it was super tasty! Buon apetito!

In thoughts of you

After a wonderfully relaxing weekend with a fantastic friend (post and photos to come), here were are on another grey Monday morning.

I'm finishing up The Scarlet Letter for the book club at Winterthur tomorrow morning, which may be contributing to my contemplative mood. I'm excited about meeting the club tomorrow, and I have a much better appreciation for the novel 10 years after reading it for the first time in high school. I'm also reading it (for free!) on my Kindle app for my Macbook Air, which is making me understand everyone's love affair with their Kindles.

I'm also looking forward to some sketching and writing time tomorrow while I'm at Winterthur. I am determined to find a quiet place to sit and give the right side of my brain some time to play.

Something also reminded me of that lovely painting of the woman in the red dress dancing on the beach with her tuxedoed man while two men in top hats hold umbrellas over them. Do you know the one? I love Google, because 30 seconds after having that thought, I had this. And few minutes more of exploring Jack Vittriano's work, I found "In Thoughts of You," which seems to perfectly evoke my Monday morning greys...


I love her teatime place to relax, looking out on what I imagine is a residential neighbourhood in Chelsea or Kensington. I love her black stilettos. And most of all, I love that even though you can't fully see her expression, you really get a feel for her state of mind. Lost in thought, lost in time and space, thinking about old friends and lovers and happy times.